


Body and Soul

by DeeNuke



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: 19 Days - Old Xian, 19 Days old xian, 19 days - Freeform, 19daysmanhwa, 19天 - Freeform, 19天 - old先, 19天 Old先, Brother Qiu - Freeform, Dancing, Fluff, He Cheng - Freeform, HeChengxBrotherQiu, HeChengxQiu, Hecheng/qiu, Jazz - Freeform, M/M, Manhwa, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Quintessence, Sexual Tension, Short One Shot, brotherqiu, dance, hecheng, old xian, oldxian, oldxian19days, oldxian_ox, old先
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 13:20:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30022368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeeNuke/pseuds/DeeNuke
Summary: The dance lesson between He Cheng and Qiu finally happens.
Relationships: ChengQiu, He Cheng/Brother Qiu (19 Days), He Cheng/Brother Qiu (19天), He Cheng/Qiu, He Cheng/Qiu (19 Days), He Cheng/Qiu (19天), Qiu/Cheng, Qiu/He Cheng, QiuCheng, 贺呈/丘哥, 贺呈/丘哥 ( 19天)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 23





	Body and Soul

**Author's Note:**

> The second part of the 'Quintessence' story. Based on a headcanon @harucchiyan (IG) and I share.
> 
> In case anyone is interested the song referenced in the story is 'Body and Soul' by Sonny Stitt.

_"To feel anything deranges you. To be seen feeling anything strips you naked."_ \- Red Doc - Anne Carson

It has been almost a year since He Cheng and Qiu had had the conversation about that possible dance lesson. Contrary to what they had both expected, for everything to be buried and forgotten, the agreement had become a tiny, little secret kept between them, an inside joke that was thrown around now and again as a reminder that, from Cheng’s part, the proposition still held, and from Qiu’s part, the availability was still given. This was no joke anymore.

Though, neither of the two could have anticipated the pleasant feeling that seemingly insignificant secret brought to their lives. It was even more surprising to Cheng when Qiu would bring it up as a way to make him feel better if things were going South in some way. Even more surprising remained the fact that Cheng had held this off for ‘better times’ because he realised he wanted to savour the moment, not use it as an excuse. 

The day had come through, and now Cheng was standing in his study, conducting a mild interrogation. Qiu was watching him push the black armchairs into a corner, somewhere behind the desk, wherever they fit, making them some space, then proceeded to wrestle with the plant, pretty much a miniature tree, in the corner. It was a plastic plant, the last alive one Cheng had had, had finally died just weeks ago.

Pushing the pot into the corner with his foot, Cheng straightened up, smoothed out his jacket, but felt Qiu’s eyes on him. He didn’t turn to look at him as though he suddenly relished in the feeling of knowing he was being watched by him. How long was he even going to indulge in those small things? Why did they even happen? His mind was oscillating between those annoying questions and satisfying moments.

Taking a deep breath, he sighed loudly, then turned around and looked at Qiu. “Have you danced before?” Cheng suddenly asked. They had both opted for black suits that day due to the meeting they previously had, the only difference was that Cheng’s shirt was black, and Qiu’s the typical white.

Pondering for a brief moment, Qiu half shook his head, “You mean, something like standing sort of still, moving your hips a little while having someone rub against you?” he asked, “then yes...” Qiu nodded.

Blinking, surprised at the reply then frowning at the mental image, Cheng lightly shook his head. He wasn’t quite sure yet what disturbed him most, Qiu’s lack of dancing skills and his idea of what dancing meant and was or the fact that he suddenly imagined him in someone else’s company.

“N-no...,” Cheng lowered his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “That’s not dancing, Qiu...,” he sighed, suddenly understanding the immensity of the task he had taken upon himself.

“Then what’s that called?” Qiu snorted, somehow finding Cheng’s annoyed expression rather amusing. This is what he liked to see, the nuances. This was a different kind of annoyance than his usual boredom borderline with anger. Qiu could see the strain in him, that bit of humanity showing through. In this instance, Cheng was driven by a passion, and he defended that because Qiu’s answer had been, obviously, an insult to his knowledge.

“I believe that the word you’re looking for is ‘grinding’,” Cheng said, and faintly smiled, forced so, before turning his gaze back at Qiu.

“You mean…,” Qiu grinned a little, “juking? Freak dancing?” he grinned even more only to see Cheng squint at him.

“You were just fucking with me…,” Cheng said feeling mildly defeated.

"Yes,“ Qiu chuckled. ”I know what it is, though I’m surprised you do…,“ he added.

“Well, yes," Cheng sighed deeply, "I frequented enough clubs to be familiar with the term…,” he added very matter-of-factly. “Plus, it is what you do with your guests each time you throw a party and invite me over, too.

“I was not aware you were paying attention,” Qiu bowed his head to hide the sudden smile on his lips.

“I like keeping you on your toes,” Cheng glared but felt a soft hollowness in his stomach. He was angry that he had been giving himself away so easily. Or maybe it was just an excuse, and the anger was the fact, that he was glad he had been ‘caught’. 

Tilting his head to the side a little, still amused, Qiu looked at Cheng, “So…,” he sniffed, “are you going to make a man of me or what?”

Hearing Qiu, Cheng’s brow rose for a moment, and he took another deep breath. “Don’t tempt me…,” he said and shook his head, leaving it at that. So pursing his lips a little, he now nodded, “I can at least give you more… I suppose, ammunition next time you try to…,” he deflected his previous statement, briefly stopping to ponder his words as he waved his hands, “charm one of your ladies with your impressive grinding skills…,” he rolled his eyes, feeling a little knot in his throat as he said that. It was unbelievably annoying to suddenly feel so distracted by those thoughts.

“Hey, I never had any complaints—,” Qiu started saying while smiling at him.

“Until now!” Cheng instantly cut him off, shaking his head at him like a really fed up teacher who had had enough of his pupil’s rebellion.

Chuckling, unable to hold back anymore, Qiu nodded, “Alright, alright…,” he said and raised his hands in the air as though he was surrendering. “Give me a moment…,” he added and took off his suit’s jacket. He threw it on the armrest of one of the chairs, then calmly proceeded to unbutton the shirt’s sleeves, rolling them up to his elbows. Unbuckling the leather holster of the guns he had strapped over his chest, he carefully left it hanging over the backrest of the same armchair. 

Eyes on Qiu, Cheng felt his jaws clenching. He drew in a silent breath, feeling the air painfully fill his lungs. Qiu looked so much better in a suit than his cheap t-shirts. Then again, everything sort of fit him so damn well that it was obnoxiously irritating. 

His thoughts were interrupted when Qiu turned around, so now Cheng watched him straightened his back as well, “Alright, I think I’m ready…,” he grinned.

“You are way too happy about this, Qiu,” Cheng quipped while taking his jacket off, too, and loosening up the black tie around his neck. His eyes briefly met with Qiu's, but he said nothing, just beckoned him closer with his index finger.

Lowering his eyes, Qiu faintly nodded, not replying but not denying Cheng’s words either. It was hard to say he didn’t enjoy the moment. It was a whole new version of Cheng he was getting, feelings running free, his passion right there, at the ready, to be all thrown in Qiu’s face. No cold stares, no blunt words, no strict orders. While he dreaded to know what a horrible dancer he was, this was still way too exhilarating than he had ever expected.

Walking back to Cheng, Qiu stopped before him, “Well…,” he drew in a deep breath. “Shall we?” he said and looked him in the eyes.

“Right,” Cheng nodded, inhaling deeply and exhaling the same way, not sure why he was oddly feeling nervous or just worried about the disaster at hand. “This should be fairly easy, I chose a simple beat,” he let Qiu know, “actually it is an extremely simple one, so you should be relatively alright."

“You actually put thought into this,” Qiu smiled.

“Alright, smartass,” Cheng took a step back, eyes squinting. “I was only thinking about your well being here.”

“I like it! I swear,” Qiu quickly replied but still couldn’t stop himself from chuckling.

“Pay attention!” Cheng lifted his finger. It reminded Qiu about the time when they were younger, so much younger, and Cheng had taken up the task of making Qiu a better shooter. Even back then, when he felt someone was not paying attention to what he was saying, that was what Cheng did, index finger up, cold glare and the ‘pay attention’ speech. 

Briefly lowering his eyes, Qiu nodded. They had come a long way, and that long way was now suddenly manifesting in bizarre ways. He could still not understand all of it, hell, not even half of it, but he was blindly following. A soft shudder moved through Qiu, Cheng’s voice just briefly diffusing as though something had sucked up the sound from around him. 

When it returned, Qiu’s heart was just so slightly beating faster. He didn’t even have time to wonder why because his attention was back on Cheng. There it was again, something that his boss had never let anyone else see before. Even the way he was speaking to him now had changed slightly as he was explaining things, probably reverting to the times in which he had listened to his teacher explain the same things to him.

Cheng spoke softer now, slower, his words carefully chosen but more flourished, adopting a different vocabulary, a richer one. Qiu heard something about beat and numbering, saw Cheng point to the ground, to their feet, but he needed to refocus to be able to fully grasp the words.

“Are you even listening?!” Cheng suddenly asked, his eyes on him.

“I am!” Qiu instantly answered like a scared pupil that had been caught daydreaming. “I swear I am!” he said and nodded “Beat, steps, one, two, three, four…”

An eyebrow rose, Cheng slowly nodded in return, then turned and grabbed a tiny remote control from the desk. “Alright, just stay calm… don’t tense up…,” he drew in a deep breath and pressed the ‘play’ button on the remote before putting it back down.

A lazy piano started playing, the sound accompanied by a soft white nose, most probably an old recording that was digitalised. Then the sax came through, just as lazy but melodious, and the room was filled with its sound. Qiu was caught in a very unfamiliar feeling, as though the melody was crawling underneath his skin. He felt goosebumps going up against his arms, and he let out a soft breather.

Cheng was simply watching him, maybe amused as though he understood the music had had its effect like an old spell cast upon a mortal. But it was not just the damn music. Qiu suddenly regretted his decision to do this, he felt way too exposed, but Cheng was right in front of him. He straightened his back, lifted both arms, placing one on Qiu’s shoulder, the other remaining in the air, waiting for Qiu to put his hands in his.

“Do I need to…?,” Qiu whispered.

“Of course you do,” Cheng replied and instantly saw Qiu tense. “I said, stay calm…,” he repeated, but his words had the opposite effect. 

Sighing as though disappointed, Cheng took a step back, grabbed the remote again, stopped the music then turned to Qiu. “Alright, Hot Shot…,” he said and tiredly smiled. “This is how this is done,” he silently breathed out, “dancing requires two partners…,” he started calmly. “It also requires a little trust…,” he now chuckled amused. “So, as you know, I have sent everyone home precisely for you to feel less conscious about this,” he added, “but…,” and he accentuated that last word, “if you feel like this is too uncomfortable for you, we can end this here…,” Cheng said.

Letting the words sink in, Qiu looked at him again. He had expected anger by this point, annoyance, but there was a sort of calm, and of course, amusement, on Cheng’s expression, maybe even a bit of disappointment. Had Cheng been looking forward to this, and now he was the one who was backing off? But that ‘end this here’ felt way too apocalyptic in Qiu’s mind, and he instantly shook his head. 

“No!” he finally spoke again, “we end nothing here,” he firmly said, then looked over his shoulder at the door of the office. 

“It’s closed…,” he heard Cheng say, so Qiu eyed his guns. “We’re safe, I’ve activated the perimeter alarm system,” were his next words. “Plus, we’re not in a war zone,” he added, more quietly. 

“For a simple dancing lesson?” Qiu turned to look at him.

“I can understand how these things can cause discomfort if not viewed as what they simply are,” Cheng said very calmly.

'What they are', Qiu thought. Yes, this was just that damn dancing lesson, nothing more. He was acting so out of character that it was disgusting. Pondering, Qiu remained silent. He could not say he was not impressed by those measures, simply because it was yet another way in which Cheng had extended his trust to him. He had recognised a potential moment of uneasiness and proceeded to make it safer… for him… and all for the sake of a damn dance lesson. 

“You are surely passionate about this,” Qiu said and looked at him but quickly bowed his head so Cheng could understand he had not meant it as an insult but something he had now come to admire about him. If this was the passion that drove him, how long was he going to be able to hold it back until, for whatever reason, he would break under its burden? Or maybe this fire was what kept Cheng going, gave him the conviction he needed to do what needed to be done. Indeed, this was just a fraction of who Cheng really was, a simmering fire, silently bubbling under the surface, like the lava in the midst of a volcano, shrouded by cold, dark rocks until the moment of eruption.

Now, wasn’t that something Qiu would like to see more? If he poked enough between those cold slabs, dig deep enough, maybe he could see the true fire. Another shudder moved through him, and now he took a step closer to Cheng. “Alright…,” he said and inhaled deeply, “teach me…,” he nodded and waited.

Holding Qiu’s gaze to make sure he indeed meant it, Cheng finally nodded, pressed ‘play’ once again, pocketed the remote, and took the stance again. He saw Qiu come closer and smiled pleased, “Your right-hand goes on my waist, the other one in my hand…,” he said and waited for Qiu to follow. “I am sure you have done this with the ladies,” he added and felt like slapping himself for that. Qiu didn’t answer though, so Cheng closed his hand around Qiu’s. As he had expected, he instantly saw him tense. “Relax…,” he said softly and nodded at him. “I’m not going to bite…,” he continued and felt like laughing.

“Unless I ask?” Qiu suddenly said, and both of them shook their heads, smiling and momentarily looking away.

Cheng needed to bite his own lower lip to stop himself from smiling even more, “That was such a bad joke, Qiu,” he whispered.

“When why are you smiling,” Qiu replied just as quietly.

“Just… close your eyes,” Cheng advised, “if it helps not seeing me,” he said, though, for whatever reason, that thought suddenly saddened him. “Just listen to the music…,” he continued, his voice suddenly way more soothing than Qiu had ever imagined it to be. It was as though he was listening to one of those very well narrated audiobooks or ‘relax’ sessions one of his doctors had once counselled him to listen to that might have helped with a night of better sleep. 

Though, instead of closing his eyes, Qiu looked at Cheng, “I have no issues looking at you,” he suddenly said to his own surprise. 

“But don’t look down either,” Cheng quickly added. “It will mess up your steps…,” he added. The piano of the song started to play, then the saxophone and a very monotone rhythm filled the room. The sound made Qiu look up, but the next moment he felt a small tug and he moved with Cheng. A step back for Cheng, one forward for Qiu, and then one to the right for both of them, like a waltz. Qiu saw Cheng nod and smile softly and nudge his chin towards him, so holding his breath, Qiu now took a step back, while Cheng followed. 

He wanted to move again, but for a half-beat Cheng held him still, then he tilted his head to the side, to Qiu’s right, so he took the next step there. Chin again, so Qiu moved back, and another chin and yet another step back. A head tilt to Cheng’s right, so there they both went. 

“Slow down…,” Cheng said softly, “relax your shoulders…,” he went on, “the piano is your rhythm, not the sax…,“ he continued and smiled when Qiu managed to follow the rhythm he had indicated. 

“The sax is messing with me…,” Qiu admitted, feeling still a little too tense.

“The piano is your feet, the sax is your heart…,” Cheng said rather quietly and felt Qiu’s gaze on him. “You’re actually doing extremely great,” he quickly changed the topic, but he indeed found it rather surprising that Qiu had managed. “I thought you would have stamped over me by now,” he chuckled.

"We barely started," Qiu smiled. "So it's never too late," he added, "though, I must admit, I like this one,” Qiu nudged his chin towards the sound system.

“Really?” Cheng smiled even wider, surprised.

“I can appreciate a good sax when I hear it,” Qiu defended himself, “I am not such a peasant, your Highness…,” he squinted at him while smiling. 

“Never thought you were, Qiu…,” Cheng returned the smile.

Faintly nodding, Qiu briefly looked away. “What is it anyway?” he asked instead of saying what he was really thinking, that he liked knowing his presence was appreciated.

“Body and Soul,” Cheng instantly answered. 

“The piano is your feet, the sax is your heart…,” Qiu whispered as though it suddenly made sense.

“Indeed…,” Cheng said as they continued, but at this point, Cheng barely needed to guide him.

“Same era?” Qiu asked and saw Cheng nod.

“A very classic of the 1930s…,” he sighed as though he was an immortal from those times and he was now missing the best years of his life.

“I should have known…,” Qiu chuckled.

“Yes, you should have known,” Cheng smiled. “But look at you, moving without even noticing, ”he said, “ready to try something else then?”

“No?” Qiu resisted.

“I thought you more adventurous than this,” Cheng grinned.

“A bullet to the head seems less scary than whatever you have planned for me right now,” Qiu quickly added.

“Touché!” Cheng snorted and suddenly turned on the spot. Moving in a circle, he gently pulled Qiu after him, now really expecting to get stepped on, but somehow, even if clumsily, Qiu avoided the embarrassment. 

“Never thought I would ever see you flustered,” Cheng smiled.

“I really do not want to risk my life because I’ve stepped on your foot,” Qiu quickly replied, almost out of breath. “I said I was not ready!” he argued.

“You did very well though,” Cheng nodded.

“Thanks, boss…,” Qiu said, then made a small sound. “I mean… Cheng…,” he nodded and forced a smile. They had both agreed a while ago that 'boss' was a word that needed to be dropped from Qiu's vocabulary. Though, now and again, it resurfaced.

It was then when the sax of the tune rose a bit in tempo and, with Qiu’s mild distraction, Cheng felt the soft kick against his foot. They both stopped, looked down at their feet, then at each other, and Qiu exhaled exasperated. 

“I suppose it was too much to ask for a full dance…,” he snorted as he let go of Cheng and took a step back.

Watching him amused, Cheng let go of his hand and nodded. “But, I can honestly say it was way better than I expected.”

“It’s so weird hearing a compliment from you…,” Qiu squinted at him.

“Should I stop then?” Cheng faintly smiled, his eyes still on Qiu. It was true, though. Thinking back, he had rarely complimented the man on anything, even back when they were younger. It was as though it was expected of him to perform well… And while it was, it did not necessarily mean it should have been taken for granted, which Cheng had done countless times. He remained silent, just watching Qiu finally relax, the tightness in his shoulders finally ceasing as he slouched a little.

Quickly pondering Cheng’s words, Qiu shook his head, “A pleasant change…,” he said and mildly stretched.

“Noted…,” Cheng nodded.

“So…,” Qiu pressed his hands together, rubbing them for a moment. “We’re not going to give up now, right?”

Blinking a little surprised, Cheng suddenly smiled. “I see your stubbornness persists…,” he said quietly, quite pleased to see Qiu so worked up. 

“My most attractive feature,” Qiu joked.

“I could name a few more,” Cheng suddenly said, locking his eyes with Qiu.

They both remained silent, then Qiu simply bowed his head as though to say he appreciated the thought. He indeed did, but at the same time, he didn’t know what to do with it, neither the compliment nor how it made him feel. 

Responding in kind, Cheng drew in a deep breath. “Again?” he asked, breaking the suddenly tense atmosphere, and Qiu nodded.

_'Again',_ Qiu thought but said nothing. It felt odd to have ‘fun’. He sometimes felt too old to allow himself such things. It had been way too long since something ‘fun’ had happened anyway. The way Cheng was behaving now looked like they had both forgotten parts of them. Or maybe just locked them away for no one to see.

But what if they would open those treasure chests? That would be easy to do, harder, was dealing with whatever they would find inside. And who said they wanted that from each other? Who said Cheng wanted to see more than he already knew?

Letting out a sigh, Qiu took a step closer to Cheng, “Again…”


End file.
